Last weekend close to where I live an area had a sort of areawide event called "Nazomeren in Niedorp" Basically celebrating the end of the summer holiday. Several workshops and other stores were put open for people to visit and among them was a private collection of a guy who restores WW2 Allied vehicles. I was there with 2 fellow modelers from a local builders group to promote our wonderful hobby. Aside from all sorts of smaller paraphernalia they were restoring a US Halftrack and a Priest. There was another restored halftrack with a quad .50 mount and a huge 40mm Bofors AA gun.
There are worse backdrops to do your hobby in front of. Aside from the stuff that was inside the hall he also invited a bunch of his chums with their restored vehicles so a lot of OD was present in the form of Jeeps, Halftracks, White Scout cars, GMC trucks etc. etc.
I have a little photoimpression to see where I was spending my weekend









I used my time there to build this little gem from Trumpeter with crew from Legend. After 2 days of work it is ready for primer.



It was really a cool weekend. Spoke a lot of people. did some modelling. Made 4 really extensive walkarounds. That I will upload soon. The owner of the military collection was a really pleasant man. And I got permission to return there in the very near future to make an extensive walkaround of the Priest they currently are restoring. So more to follow soon.

With friendly greetz

Robert Blokker

Looks like a lot of fun,that M16 looks great

Ola Anthony

It definately was a good weekend there. I agree that M16 looks the part. I believe it is parked in that same hall normally so I think I could do a run through the vehicle with the camera as well.

My grandfather was sent to the rail bridge at nijmegen during market garden. He was corporal of a bofors (like that one?) and they dug in with sleepers right on the tracks.

Apparently something big and nasty crept across the bridge at night. Not being insane persons they just stayed in their hole and hoped it would go away. Someone elsewhere heard it and a flare went up. Jolly well illuminating the bofors position. So old man west (bus driver) cried out to the effect "&#$*. Fire!" And they shot at it, flat trajectory, for a little while and watched the ping whiz of 40mm bouncing off armour like water off a ducks bum.

Then they stopped and whatever it was decided that would do for a night's work and reversed back off the bridge. So ended his closest encounter with enemy ground forces. Excepting his strong suspicion that it had in fact been friendly armour going home down the wrong bridge in the dark.


Or so the legend goes.